News!

From the Principal

I’d like to begin by thanking the community of Castlemaine for making me feel so welcome. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some wonderful students, parents and staff who are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. My role is to support the school through the transition period to a new Principal and ensure that the school is in a good place for that to happen.

Since arriving at the College I’ve become much more aware of the great things that go in the school and the community and how well the College is connected to its community. Although there are challenges that have already been overcome (and there will be more in the future) the College is in a great position to grow and thrive over the next five to ten years. A new Principal will be excited about these opportunities and keen to build on the strong foundation of student achievement, excellent programs and community commitment that is evident to me.

The position of Principal is currently advertised and there is a formal process that is adhered to across the state. If you have questions about this process I would be happy to answer them. Advertisements have been placed in local and national papers and refer applicants to the DET “Recruitment Online” website (job reference number 1083487).

I’d like to congratulate everyone who was involved in the very successful Open Day held this week and especially those students that assisted as tour guides. The students were great ambassadors for the school and the large crowd that attended well exceeded our expectations. The athletic sports were held under challenging conditions at Wesley Hill but students and staff had a great day and exceptional performances from a range of students seemed the norm for the day. I was pleased to see many parents drop in to support their child and the school.

Although I will be at Castlemaine for a relatively short time I’m keen to have as many conversations as I can with parents, students and staff. Please feel free to make an appointment if there are issues you would like to discuss.

Noel Claridge

Acting Principal

Cadel Watson - Premier’s VCE Award Recipient

Castlemaine Secondary College was recently invited to attend the Premier’s VCE Awards, presented by Minister for Education James Merlino, and held at Crown Towers in Melbourne. CSC alumni Cadel Watson received the Premier’s Award for VCE English – a prestigious award which recognises and celebrates his high level of attainment. Last year Cadel received a perfect study score of 50 in English, and with an overall ATAR of 99.9, he was accepted to study Bioinformatics at Sydney University.

Due to the demanding assessment schedule of this course, Cadel was unable to accept his award in person, however his mum, Debra, was on hand to pick it up for him. Congratulations Cadel!

School Council President

BUILDINGS - I’m sure that everyone has heard by now that Castlemaine Secondary College was not successful in receiving funding in the recently released Victorian State Budget for our building program. Nonetheless, we will continue to lobby the government to fund the final two buildings of our Master Plan within their first term of government. This was a promise that Labor made to us, and Council members are keen to keep up the pressure in the hope that this promise will be a reality in next year’s budget.

WORKING BEE – Thank you to all parents who came to our working bee last weekend. We tidied up the garden beds around the Wellbeing Centre and the front of the school in preparation for our Open Morning. Some of us spent a bit of time picking up rubbish, especially on the far side of the Wellbeing building where students are using the vegetated drain as a bin. We also pulled a wheelie bin out of the dam! I’m hoping that we can work towards being a Nude Food School, but in the meantime, please encourage students to bring home their rubbish, or pack lunches with minimal packaging.

UNIFORMS – It’s getting cold, so it’s time for students to transition into their winter uniform. There are skirts, pants, two different types of jumpers and a warm jacket that they can wear. Remember that it is a departmental requirement that all students in technology labs, workshops and kitchens are wearing closed in leather shoes. The year 7 students look fantastic in their new uniforms, so let’s make sure the rest of the school adhere to the dress code.

OPEN MORNING – There was a terrific turn out the recent Open Morning, with prospective Year 6 students from a range of primary schools coming to have a tour with their parents. Business Manager, Elissa O’Connor, has put together some very useful information packs, so pick one up from her if you would like a copy for a friend or relative who couldn’t make it to the Open Morning.

DRAMA SUPPORT GROUP – This group of parents held a sausage sizzle fundraiser in Mostyn Street last Saturday to raise extra funds to support the drama department. We were so humbled by the amount of community members, particularly old timers, who stopped by simply to give us a donation. Funds raised $700.

You may have received a text message about donating cakes for this event. When you get these messages in the future, you will know that your baked goods donations are really appreciated in helping us raise money. There is a Music Support Group fundraiser on 27th May, so any cake donations are gratefully received down on Mostyn Street at 8am.

Council members are working hard to spread the message about CSC being the School of Choice for this community. Our Communications and Profile Portfolio have developed a Communications Strategy and set of guiding principles that we hope to work with the College to implement. Spreading good news stories will help to create a positive environment around the community – sometimes good news is something we all need a little more of.